Why You Must Ask about Cyber-security

Technology,
they said, would make our lives easier. In some respects, it has. In others,
technology has created challenges that schools and communities must address.
One of the biggest threats to safety at any school is cyber-security.

Who’s got
your child’s data, and what will they do with it?

Data
breaches from outside agents

You might
expect that your child’s school would vet any vendor wanting to collect your
child’s personal data, such as SSNs and your family information. Most schools
do a good job of it. They purchase software from reputable edtech companies
with robust cybersecurity measures. Administrators check contracts for details
about how data is collected, masked, and disposed of.

Unfortunately,
not all edtech companies are as conscientious about
data protection as you might hope. They may say they purge personally identifiable
information each year, but there’s no way to tell.

Additionally,
teachers may bring in apps not yet approved by the IT department. These apps
could be Trojan horses that hope to collect student information and then
disappear.

The people
you trust

Your child’s
private data could fall into the wrong hands through carelessness, too. School employees with almost unlimited
access to data could compromise your child’s data. It’s unlikely that teachers
would sell your child’s data. The payoff for such an illegal act isn’t worth
the sacrifices made to get a degree and professional teaching certifications.

However, how
many teachers take work home with them? They sometimes carry bags of homework
and books, but it’s much easier and more
convenient to slip a USB stick containing personal information into a pocket
or purse. That tiny device can fall out at a gas station or restaurant, and
suddenly, your child’s personally identifiable information is in the wrong
hands. The teacher who was hoping to catch up on grades or analyze the latest
test result has not committed a data breach.

Areas to
review at your child’s school

Just like you
would ask about fire prevention and safety, you should also inquire into
cyber-security protocols at your school. Request a parent meeting to discuss cyber-security
measures that the district and campus take. Specifically, look for
strategies likes these:

· Teacher and employee training. The
law is clear about who may and may not access student information. Only those
with an instructional need may view confidential student data. Teachers, aides,
and even administrators fall in the category. Custodians do not. The campus
must provide training on how to handle data and report lost files.

· Risk analysis. The IT department
should review all software programs for data integrity and compliance with
cyber-security standards. Those that do not make the grade must be disallowed.

· Cloud storage vs. USB portability.
USB sticks are handy, but they get lost easily. A safer alternative is cloud
storage. Teachers upload files into the cloud and retrieve them from another
device. However, the district and school should have a policy that employees
cannot view and download cloud-based data on public WiFi networks, such as
those at coffee shops and airports.

Cyber-security
is a concern for every school and university. The risks of not addressing
personal data safety are great, but they can be minimized and sometimes
eliminated. It will happen when parents and schools work together to protect
our children.

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Since technology is not going anywhere and does more good than harm, adapting is the best course of action. That is where The Tech Edvocate comes in. We plan to cover the PreK-12 and Higher Education EdTech sectors and provide our readers with the latest news and opinion on the subject. From time to time, I will invite other voices to weigh in on important issues in EdTech. We hope to provide a well-rounded, multi-faceted look at the past, present, the future of EdTech in the US and internationally.

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